Ai's Lullaby
by IAmKayDubs
Summary: Rin is struck with a nightmare. It's not necessarily unheard of for Nitori to hear Rin wake up that way, but it never stops him from worrying. Nitori decides to sing Rin a lullaby that his mother taught him in an attempt to help Rin feel better. *A fluffy fic for the most part, nothing too angsty or anything!*


The night was quiet. Not even bugs could be heard outside of the window. Only the very faint sounds of Nitori and Rin breathing could be heard, if you listened closely enough.

The quiet wouldn't last long, however. Breaking the silence, a loud gasp echoed through the dorm room. Nitori slowly sat up, glancing around sleepily. He glanced at his phone, which had been tangled in the blankets. It was 3:26 in the morning.

Nitori sat silently, listening for another noise. He heard heavy breathing... It was strained, and filled with what seemed to be pain.

"Rin-senpai?" Nitori whispered.

The harsh breathing continued, Rin didn't speak. That right there frightened Nitori even more.

"Hey... Rin?" Nitori spoke a bit louder.

All Nitori heard was some muffled noises, and the shuffling of sheets.

He couldn't take not knowing what was wrong, so he slowly climbed to the ladder, landing lightly on the floor. He moved around the side of of the bed, so that he could see Rin.

He looked incredibly shaken. The bedsheets were disheveled, and pooled around Rin's body. Rin's hair was messier than usual, with bits of it caked together with sweat. His eyes were wide, fright filling the reddish irises.

"Rin-senpai?" Nitori stood only a foot away from Rin's bed.

Rin turned his head to face his boyfriend. His face relaxed the slightest bit, but panic still engulfed him.

"A-Ai..." Rin was still breathing heavier than normal.

"Rin... Are you okay...?"

Rin stared at Nitori, his eyes brimming with fear induced tears.

Nitori slowly took a seat next to him on the bed, gently moving Rin over, so that his shoulder touched the wall.

"Rin, please say something... You're scaring me..."

"Sorry..." Rin muttered. "I had a nightmare."

Nitori understood immediately. He put one of his tiny arms around Rin's waist, pulling himself closer to Rin.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Rin took a breath in. "Ai... Y-you don't need to w-worry... You should j-just get some sleep..." Rin's voice was breaking down as he spoke.

"I'm not leaving this spot until you feel better." Nitori insisted. "Even if you don't want to talk, I'm going to stay here."

Rin folded his arms, snuggling into Nitori without noticing. "I'm fine, Ai..."

"You don't sound fine at all. You sound terrified." Nitori rested his head on Rin's shoulder. "I just want you to be okay."

"I will be soon..." Rin said lightly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Nitori hated feeling useless.

"Stay with me."

Nitori nodded, pulling his head back up, and looking at Rin. Rin seemed to be calming down slowly, his breathing was leveling out, and his muscles seemed to relax.

"Hey, Rin, look this way." Nitori sat up straight, pulling his legs so that they were crossed and taking his arm away from Rin's waist. He guided Rin's body so that they were facing each other, with both of their legs crossed.

"What are you doing?" Rin murmured. He seemed very curious about Nitori's sudden actions.

"Just relax..." Nitori said gently.

Nitori stretched out his left arm and draped it over Rin's shoulder, reaching his hand around so he could gently touch the back of Rin's neck. He took his other hand and placed it on top of Rin's head, slowly combing fingers though the tousled and tangled red locks.

"Ai, what...-"

"Just relax." Nitori commanded gently.

Nitori took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"Perhaps I can reach you, even though you're far away..." Nitori sang calmly. "I send you this message with all my heart. Hope is certainly a compass that points to love."

Rin was no longer curious, he was only enthralled with Nitori's song.

"Sleep, sleep gently, for tomorrow is a continent of dreams."

Rin's breathing had returned to normal. He was calm, and now he could enjoy the song.

"Last night you were scared of loneliness. The telepathy in your heart called my name. It's not even a miracle that in the future our hearts will be energy." Nitori untangled his hand from Rin's hair, putting it around Rin's waist as if they were dancing. "Sleep, sleep gently, forget your sorrow."

Rin didn't dare speak, even though he had so much to say.

"The years sink into the sea like the setting sun."

"I'll jump across the starry sky to collect you."

Nitori slowed his voice down, making it as gentle as he could.

"I'll jump across the starry sky to collect you."

Rin was awestruck. He had no idea Nitori could sing...

"Ai..."

"I know I'm no singer, but my mom sang that to me all the time when I was little. I thought it might help..."

"Wh-what do you mean you're 'no singer'?" Rin was honestly surprised. "You have a beautiful voice."

"You think so?" Nitori pondered. "I don't sing often, so I never think about it. I'm glad you liked it... Are you feeling better?"

"I am." Rin said gratefully. "Thank you..." Rin stared at Nitori for a moment, before pulling the boy on to his lap and engulfing him in a hug.

Rin's forehead touched the top of Nitori's head as he held the younger boy close to him. After a moment, Nitori felt warm tears dripping from his head and landing on his face.

Bewildered, Nitori spoke up. "Rin? Wh-what happened? Why are you crying again?"

Rin's voice was shaky, but Nitori understood every word. "I just love you so much, Ai. Honestly, you're so perfect... I love you so... SO much."

"I love you too, Rin." Nitori murmured back, snuggling into the embrace. "Always."

"What did I do to deserve you, huh?" Rin muttered warmly, reaching up and tangling his fingers through Nitori's silvery hair.

"Nothing at all, Rin. I'm the one who should feel lucky, trust me."

"No way..." Rin muttered. "You could do so much better, Ai."

"You're delusional, Rin..." Nitori was beginning to slip into a cozy sleep in Rin's arms.

Rin shook his head, ready to throw more praises at his boyfriend, but he noticed how sleepy Nitori looked. Nitori's tiny hands curled up like a child, causing Rin to smile at how beautiful he looked. Rin pressed his forehead onto the top of Nitori's head and held him closer.

"Sleep well, Ai..."

"You... You too... Rin..." Nitori was beyond tired, so his words came out as a tiny mumble.

Rin simply dried his remaining tears on his shoulder, and returned his forehead to its spot on Nitori's head.

He knew that with Nitori in his arms, he wouldn't be crying anymore.

* * *

Authors note: Hey there, I have to apologize for this being kinda cheesy... but I wanted to write some super duper fluffy stuff, since the other fic I'm working on is very angsty and intense... I needed some relief...

Also, I know that out of my four fics posted on this site, three of them are rintori/nitorin... I promise some more pairings are coming. I just find it really easy to write with these two, because they have such distinct personalities. (And they are a couple of cutie patooties! 3)

Lastly, the lullaby is a bit awkward because it's a Japanese lullaby translated to English. I figured it would be easier to put it in English rather than putting the Japanese in the story and leaving a translation. (But if you want to find the japanese, here's the link: )

Thanks for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated!


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